New Arrangements
by elsiecarson
Summary: Clarisse and Joseph haven't been married long, but Joseph is seeing Clarisse less and less. Mia is getting married to Nicholas and so Clarisse is trying to help her plan. Mia is stressed out and nervous and so is Clarisse. Joseph decides they need to get away for a while.
1. Alone Again

Clarisse still found it odd to roll over in the middle of the night and be in someone's arms. Because it was Joseph, however, it was always easier and she was getting better about not being so nervous. This particular night Joseph had gone to bed far earlier than Clarisse and when she walked into the bedroom he was fast asleep and snoring gently with the blankets down around his waist. Clarisse smiled as she pulled the blankets up to cover Joseph. She was used to him snoring now, though she had trouble with it at first, even though Rupert used to snore.

Clarisse entered the closet and changed into her pyjamas. She walked back into the bedroom and saw Joseph curled into the fluffy duvet. She hated to fling the covers back and get into bed; it would let the cold air in and would probably wake Joseph up. Clarisse considered staying on the settee, but then decided she would be in as much trouble if she did that as she would if she woke Joseph up. Clarisse padded silently, in bare feet, across the room and jumped into bed. As predicted she managed to wake Joseph up just as she pulled the covers up and sunk into her pillow.

"Where have you been?" Joseph asked as he rolled over to face Clarisse. "I was expecting you to be in bed hours ago."

"I had some paperwork to finish. It took me longer than I thought it was going to." Clarisse said this as she slipped her arm around Joseph's waist and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep, Joseph, I'll see you in the morning."

"Can't we talk for a minute? I've hardly seen you all day. You've been so busy planning Mia's wedding that I've hardly seen you for a whole week." Joseph reached out and pulled Clarisse very close to him.

Clarisse yawned into Joseph's chest as he spoke. "What do you want to talk about? Why do you want to talk now? It's two in the morning and I'm tired. We'll talk over breakfast tomorrow." Clarisse laid her head in the crook of Joseph's arm and tried to go to sleep. The sound of Joseph's heart beating always helped her sleep.

Joseph smiled as Clarisse fell asleep. She looked so angelic. He could hardly be angry with her. He smoothed her hair back off her face and sank down into the bed with his chin on the top of Clarisse's head. Clarisse rolled over carefully in her sleep and Joseph's hand came to rest on her stomach.


	2. I Made Breakfast!

When Joseph woke up the next morning Clarisse was already gone. So much for talking over breakfast this morning he thought bitterly. This was all getting a bit out of hand for him. Clarisse is meant to be retired.

Just as he had finished thinking this Clarisse walked into the bedroom carrying a breakfast tray. "I thought I'd try my hand at making you breakfast this morning since you and I haven't spent much time together recently."

Joseph was instantly worried. Clarisse never cooked; he wasn't even sure she knew how to cook. He took a hesitant sniff and when the food on the tray smelled edible and there was no burnt smell he allowed her to set the tray over his knees and sit next to him.

"I saw the look on your face when I said I'd cooked; you didn't think I could, did you? I'm hurt." Clarisse said indignantly. She knows him too well.

"It's not that I don't think you can't I know you can't cook judging from all your previous disasters in the kitchen which the staff always has to clean up." Joseph smiled as he leaned over and kissed Clarisse on the top of her head.

"Well I managed to not burn anything or mutilate any body parts or destroy any cooking utensils or anything else in the kitchen." Clarisse said in a melancholy tone of voice as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I can manage when I need to and besides this is sort of an apology for not spending as much time with you as I should have over the past week."

"I know you just want Mia's wedding to be perfect. I understand. After all Mia is your only grandchild you are absolutely entitled to spoil her, but you must also remember to spoil yourself and your husband every once in a while." Joseph dropped his arm around Clarisse's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"What do you think I'm doing right now? Lift the lid on your breakfast and you'll see how much I'm spoiling you." Clarisse smiled her big, beaming, cheeky smile and Joseph couldn't help but respond. She was beautiful when she smiled. She was beautiful always, but most of all when she smiled.

"All right. What sort of treat do you have for me? It's probably something I shouldn't be eating isn't it?" Joseph looked at Clarisse quizzically and she just shrugged her shoulders in a very elegant manner. Joseph lifted the lid from his breakfast and steam issued from the plate. When it cleared Joseph saw his two favourite breakfast foods in the entire world: eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles with whipped cream and peaches. He smiled in spite of trying not to give anything away.

"See, I told you you'd like it, didn't I?" Clarisse smiled at Joseph as he beamed at her. "I thought I'd try and make up for leaving you on your own so often this week and I promise I'm almost finished all the planning. We will have much more time together very soon. You may even get sick of having me around."

"That's good to hear. I've missed waking up with you in my arms in the morning and going to bed with you kissing my lips. You and I were just getting really close and then this whole wedding shower and wedding thing came up and I've hardly seen you since. I don't even really know what's going on with you any more. I will never get sick of having you around."

Clarisse was only partly listening. Everything Joseph was saying to her she'd already said to herself a lot recently. Instead of fully listening she was cutting Joseph's waffle into pieces for him. When he opened his mouth to say something else she shoved a piece of waffle into his mouth so he didn't have time to say anything. "Now tell me I can't cook." Clarisse said cheekily as Joseph sank back on the pillows apparently in awe of the deliciousness of the dish he'd just tasted.

"I swear I will never criticize your culinary skills again. The Belgian waffle is divine, but let's see if you can make eggs Benedict. I happen to know that Hollandaise sauce is notoriously easy to mess up." Joseph gave Clarisse a pinch on the nose as he cut off a small piece of his main dish. He's teasing her. He already knows her Hollandaise is fine since it hasn't separated yet.

"Well, do you approve or do I have to take a course on making eggs Benedict?" Clarisse asked teasing Joseph just a little. She knew that he'd gone to culinary school for a year when he was younger at his mother's insistence since he grew up with sisters..

Joseph smiled at her with his mouth full and a smear of Hollandaise sauce on his cheek. Clarisse reached out and removed the blob of sauce and swallowed it; she was still waiting for Joseph's response. "It's wonderful. The sauce is very smooth and not separated. You've done a good job as usual, Clarisse." Joseph took her hand in his and kissed the palm of it.

"Well, as long as the master approves I guess I'm a good cook." Clarisse smiled and jumped off the bed and walked to the closet.

"Where are you going? You haven't eaten yet." Joseph wanted Clarisse to stay with him a while longer. He'd missed her a lot and after all she should have the chance to eat some of her own creation.

"I've already had the same thing for breakfast, but if you want me to stay with you for a bit why in the world didn't you say so." Clarisse said as she ran across the room and jumped on the bed. She was looking for an excuse to stay and not go and start on more wedding plans.

"Careful," Joseph cried. "Don't you dare spill my breakfast or my orange juice. Orange juice is notoriously sticky and very difficult to get out of things. Just you watch what you taking a flying leap towards next time."

"I beg you pardon, Your Royal Highness. You certainly have fit into your role well, Joseph. That harsh tone of voice was almost believable." Clarisse giggled as she settled herself and leaned against the headboard. She knows he didn't mean one word of what he just said. He's not like that at all.

"Oh, I'm glad you caught the sarcasm in that phrase. I remembered Rupert's tone of voice he used towards the servants and I tried to see if I could replicate it. It's not really me though." Joseph said calmly as he continued eating his breakfast.

"No, that tone isn't you at all Joseph. You're far too polite to speak to anybody that way and I thank heaven for that every day." Clarisse says seriously.


End file.
